desoto_hia873 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
desoto_hia873) wrote2007-01-18 10:14 pm
desoto_hia873) wrote2007-01-18 10:14 pm
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Canadians 2007 - Day 1
::changes fandoms::
How much do I want to be in Halifax right now? A lot. I actually have tickets to this year's Canadian Figure Skating Championships, but I'm not supposed to take vacation time yet from the new job. So my seat at the rink sits in silent testimony to my absence, and I sit on the sofa watching the skating on TV.
And, um, listening to Emanuel Sandhu's rendition of Prince's Purple Rain, as that is his musical debut (you can hear it at his website www.emanuelsandhu.com). Quelle diva.
Anyway, tonight was the Ladies' and Pair's short programs.
We got a lot of pairs on TV tonight, probably because, as usual, the ladies' competition was a bit of a splat-fest. Which is not unusual for Canadian women's skating. ::sighs:: Our TSN hosts were Tracy Wilson and Rod Black--who looked like a gangster in a spectacularly ugly pin-striped suit. Yoicks.
Skate Canada seems to have returned to the days of yore when the top-ranked skaters from last year don't need to skate in the qualifying round, and the qualifying scores don't count in the final tally.
Ladies' Short Program
Joannie Rochette won the short program with a slightly wobbly skate. She was slated to try a 3F-3T combination in the short, but bailed and did only a 3F-2T. She also popped her triple Lutz into a double. She's a very pretty and graceful skater, so I found it puzzling that her music choice was Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. Her candy-floss pink dress and lipstick were somewhat at odds with the music. Her total score was 56.89 points.
Lesley Hawker came in second, skating to Bring Him Home in a very red dress. She looked rather thin, I thought. She landed a 3L-2T combination (with a slightly scratchy landing), a 3F, and a 2A. She really threw herself into her performance and had the skate of the evening. She looked pretty damned pleased with herself and got a standing ovation. Her total was 53.57 points, a personal best.
Mira Leung came in third, skating to a rather yucky version of the Pink Panther and wearing an appropriately hot pink dress. She's quite a bit taller than last year and still rather bent going into her jumps. She landed a 3L-2Lo combination, a 3F, and a 2A. Her spiral sequence showed off her amazing flexibility, but I found her positions a little on the unattractive side. She also had a personal best and scored 52.50 points.
Myriane Samson came in fourth with 51.94 points, but I neglected to take any notes on her performance. Cynthia Phaneuf returned to competition this year and, wow, has she grown up! She's a lovely skater, but also didn't have her best night. She landed a 2A and a 3T, but popped her Lutz into a single. She's aiming for a top-five finish so that she can be on the national team. She finished with 49.67 points.
Pair's Short Program
I gotta start by saying that I was quite shocked to hear that Paul Wirtz died this year. The Wirtzes are a fixture in Canadian pair's skating--I don't know what he died of, but he wasn't very old.
In a bit of an upset, Dube and Davison won the short program with 59.94 points. Jessica was injured in the fall and had knee surgery in September, which meant she wasn't back on the ice full-time until December. She was a busy girl this evening as she also skated in the Ladies' short. She hasn't trained her singles long program, however, so will only be in pairs after tonight. She had a hand down on their sbs 3S's, but the rest of their program (skated to flamenco music) was quite lovely. Their death spiral with a change of hands was particularly nice. They are a very handsome young team who should have a bright future.
Marcoux and Buntin came in a close second with 59.01 points. They are clearly faster and stronger skaters than Dube and Davison, but Valerie fell on the throw 3Lo. Apparently, she hasn't landed it in competition yet this year. They do it right out of a complicated lift near the end of the program, so fatigue may be a problem.
Langlois and Hay came in third with 55.36 points. Their program was clean and well skated, and included a throw 3L, which I don't remember ever seeing before. They're a good team, but there's something about them that feels a bit flat to me.
A (new-to-me) pair by name of Moscovitch and Moscovitch came in a surprise fourth with 53.34 points (they're brother and sister). They don't have any international competition experience because of their diverse ages: she's 13(!) and he's 22, which makes him too old for Juniors and her too young for Seniors. She sure doesn't look 13, though. They could use some spit and polish, and I don't know what they're going to do if she gets much taller--she's not much shorter than he is.
Wakamatsu and Fecteau skated to Indian techno music wearing wacky unitards with big eyes on their backs. They're retiring after this year, so this will be their last competition if they don't make it to Worlds. Which they very well may not, given that they're currently in fifth place.
Also notable were Kirkland and Radford, another oddly aged pair--she's 14 and he's 21. They skated to Carmina Burana and did a spectacular triple twist, which may be more difficult for them in the future when she fills out a little.
Tomorrow, the men!
How much do I want to be in Halifax right now? A lot. I actually have tickets to this year's Canadian Figure Skating Championships, but I'm not supposed to take vacation time yet from the new job. So my seat at the rink sits in silent testimony to my absence, and I sit on the sofa watching the skating on TV.
And, um, listening to Emanuel Sandhu's rendition of Prince's Purple Rain, as that is his musical debut (you can hear it at his website www.emanuelsandhu.com). Quelle diva.
Anyway, tonight was the Ladies' and Pair's short programs.
We got a lot of pairs on TV tonight, probably because, as usual, the ladies' competition was a bit of a splat-fest. Which is not unusual for Canadian women's skating. ::sighs:: Our TSN hosts were Tracy Wilson and Rod Black--who looked like a gangster in a spectacularly ugly pin-striped suit. Yoicks.
Skate Canada seems to have returned to the days of yore when the top-ranked skaters from last year don't need to skate in the qualifying round, and the qualifying scores don't count in the final tally.
Ladies' Short Program
Joannie Rochette won the short program with a slightly wobbly skate. She was slated to try a 3F-3T combination in the short, but bailed and did only a 3F-2T. She also popped her triple Lutz into a double. She's a very pretty and graceful skater, so I found it puzzling that her music choice was Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. Her candy-floss pink dress and lipstick were somewhat at odds with the music. Her total score was 56.89 points.
Lesley Hawker came in second, skating to Bring Him Home in a very red dress. She looked rather thin, I thought. She landed a 3L-2T combination (with a slightly scratchy landing), a 3F, and a 2A. She really threw herself into her performance and had the skate of the evening. She looked pretty damned pleased with herself and got a standing ovation. Her total was 53.57 points, a personal best.
Mira Leung came in third, skating to a rather yucky version of the Pink Panther and wearing an appropriately hot pink dress. She's quite a bit taller than last year and still rather bent going into her jumps. She landed a 3L-2Lo combination, a 3F, and a 2A. Her spiral sequence showed off her amazing flexibility, but I found her positions a little on the unattractive side. She also had a personal best and scored 52.50 points.
Myriane Samson came in fourth with 51.94 points, but I neglected to take any notes on her performance. Cynthia Phaneuf returned to competition this year and, wow, has she grown up! She's a lovely skater, but also didn't have her best night. She landed a 2A and a 3T, but popped her Lutz into a single. She's aiming for a top-five finish so that she can be on the national team. She finished with 49.67 points.
Pair's Short Program
I gotta start by saying that I was quite shocked to hear that Paul Wirtz died this year. The Wirtzes are a fixture in Canadian pair's skating--I don't know what he died of, but he wasn't very old.
In a bit of an upset, Dube and Davison won the short program with 59.94 points. Jessica was injured in the fall and had knee surgery in September, which meant she wasn't back on the ice full-time until December. She was a busy girl this evening as she also skated in the Ladies' short. She hasn't trained her singles long program, however, so will only be in pairs after tonight. She had a hand down on their sbs 3S's, but the rest of their program (skated to flamenco music) was quite lovely. Their death spiral with a change of hands was particularly nice. They are a very handsome young team who should have a bright future.
Marcoux and Buntin came in a close second with 59.01 points. They are clearly faster and stronger skaters than Dube and Davison, but Valerie fell on the throw 3Lo. Apparently, she hasn't landed it in competition yet this year. They do it right out of a complicated lift near the end of the program, so fatigue may be a problem.
Langlois and Hay came in third with 55.36 points. Their program was clean and well skated, and included a throw 3L, which I don't remember ever seeing before. They're a good team, but there's something about them that feels a bit flat to me.
A (new-to-me) pair by name of Moscovitch and Moscovitch came in a surprise fourth with 53.34 points (they're brother and sister). They don't have any international competition experience because of their diverse ages: she's 13(!) and he's 22, which makes him too old for Juniors and her too young for Seniors. She sure doesn't look 13, though. They could use some spit and polish, and I don't know what they're going to do if she gets much taller--she's not much shorter than he is.
Wakamatsu and Fecteau skated to Indian techno music wearing wacky unitards with big eyes on their backs. They're retiring after this year, so this will be their last competition if they don't make it to Worlds. Which they very well may not, given that they're currently in fifth place.
Also notable were Kirkland and Radford, another oddly aged pair--she's 14 and he's 21. They skated to Carmina Burana and did a spectacular triple twist, which may be more difficult for them in the future when she fills out a little.
Tomorrow, the men!
no subject
Do you think that Dube & Davison will hold on to the lead in the long, or might Marcoux & Buntin's experience help to boost them up? I just started watching M&B this year, and rather like them.
no subject
no subject
She's a very pretty and graceful skater, so I found it puzzling that her music choice was Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix. Her candy-floss pink dress and lipstick were somewhat at odds with the music.
I felt the same way when she did Madonna's "Like a Prayer," but I ended up liking the program. Haven't seen the Jimi Hendrix program -- they haven't been broadcasting many short programs here :(.
I've been incredibly frustrated with the American TV coverage this season; it's cut way back from previous years -- during the Grand Prix, we only got 2-3 hours per event compared with 5 last year.
By the way, thanks for picking up the slack in
no subject
I didn't see any of the Grand Prix event--I was too busy moving and unpacking. I'm home today fighting off some kind of virus--at least I'm well-placed to watch it all on TV.
no subject